Airbnb News and Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb continues to be a major force in the travel industry, redefining how people book and experience accommodations worldwide. At PhocusWire, we bring you the latest Airbnb news, along with broader coverage of the short-term rental sector, including platform innovation, market trends, and regulatory developments that shape this fast-moving space.

Updates on Airbnb, short-term rental trends, and regulatory shifts

Track how Airbnb is evolving its product offerings, enhancing guest and host tools, and adapting to consumer demand for more flexible, immersive travel. Our stories examine the intersection of tech innovation, policy, and platform strategy—providing insight into how short-term rentals continue to influence the broader hospitality landscape.

How Airbnb has resisted the pandemic, adapted to new demands
News / Online
How Airbnb has resisted the pandemic, adapted to new demands
By Kevin May | November 4, 2020
Data shows where Airbnb sits in the wider accommodation ecosystem, as brands attempt to form some basis of recovery. Read More
Phocuswright Conference 2020 Preview: It's a period of reckoning for hotels
News / Distribution
Phocuswright Conference 2020 Preview: It's a period of reckoning for hotels
By Kevin May | October 27, 2020
The pre-pandemic fierce yet healthy competition between hotels and rentals for the leisure traveler is now more acute than it has ever been. It's going to be a tough ride ahead. Read More
Domio co-founders resign following Airbnb review
News / Online
Domio co-founders resign following Airbnb review
By Donna M. Airoldi - BTN | September 29, 2020
Airbnb will reinstate Domio's listings on the platform following the resignation of co-founders CEO Jay Roberts and chief strategy officer Adrian Lam. Read More
Debut pitch decks from Uber and Airbnb - everyone started somewhere
News / Online
Debut pitch decks from Uber and Airbnb - everyone started somewhere
By Kevin May | September 28, 2020
Like all startups, Airbnb and Uber had to persuade partners and investors to support their ideas with finance and agreements. So how did they do it? Read More
airbnb-new-cancellation-policy
News / Online
Airbnb makes big changes to its cancellation policy, eliminating certain guest protections
By Mitra Sorrells | September 24, 2020
The new policy, developed with input from hosts, eliminates many personal situations such as illness from coverage but adds coverage for pandemics and natural disasters. Read More
airbnb-city-portal
News / Online
Airbnb launches new portal with resources for governments, tourism organizations
By Mitra Sorrells | September 24, 2020
Airbnb says it has created the new "City Portal" to help communities benefit from its marketplace. Read More
Booking.com introduces longer-stay rates
News / Online
Booking.com introduces longer-stay rates
By Christina Jelski - Travel Weekly | September 22, 2020
The move is largely designed to bolster Booking.com's homes and apartments business, which has accounted for a growing share of the brand's bookings mid-pandemic. Read More
Airbnb courts digital nomads as it continues push for long-term stays
News / Online
Airbnb courts digital nomads as it continues push for long-term stays
By Jill Menze | September 21, 2020
Airbnb says the home-share company is seeing an increase in digital nomads booking long-term stays as well as in hosts offering those types of stays. Read More
Holidu raises new €5M investment, backed by a former Booking.com boss
News / Online
Holidu raises new €5M investment, backed by a former Booking.com boss
By Kevin May | September 21, 2020
Booking.com's former CEO, Kees Koolen, has put forward €4 million of his own money into the top-up round, alongside other, unnamed investors. Read More
Airbnb will get to its long-awaited IPO with a spring in its step
Opinion / Online
Airbnb will get to its long-awaited IPO with a spring in its step
By Steven Jankowski - AllTheRooms | September 17, 2020
Higher volumes of short-term rental bookings have allowed Airbnb to get its IPO plans back on track. Read More
Airbnb claims 1.2M listings are on enhanced cleaning program
News / Online
Airbnb claims 1.2M listings are on enhanced cleaning program
By Kevin May | August 31, 2020
The program was launched in June in a bid to showcase properties that had demonstrated enhanced hygiene standards and cleaning, or set booking buffers between guests. Read More
reddoorz-wit-covid-recovery
News / Online
RedDoorz CEO chases profitability, sees opportunities for travel companies to IPO
By Yeoh Siew Hoon - WebInTravel | August 25, 2020
As Airbnb prepares for its much-anticipated IPO, RedDoorz co-founder and CEO Amit Saberwal predicts there will be more strong companies that emerge out of COVID and want to go public. Read More
Airbnb is set for a blockbuster IPO - here's why
Opinion / Online
Airbnb is set for a blockbuster IPO - here's why
By Tom Caton - AirDNA | August 24, 2020
Even amid COVID-19, Airbnb may be sneakily well-positioned to come out on top. Read More
Airbnb files for IPO despite crisis year for the travel industry
News / Online
Airbnb files for IPO despite crisis year for the travel industry
By Kevin May | August 19, 2020
The question of when Airbnb would move towards its long-awaited IPO has followed the company long before the coronavirus pandemic hit the industry in early-2020. Read More
Facebook lets activity providers take bookings for virtual events
News / Online
Facebook lets activity providers take bookings for virtual events
By Kevin May | August 19, 2020
The social network added an event booking, promotion and payment service to the functionality of business pages, effectively allowing any provider to operate within the social network's ecosystem. Read More
The Phocuswright Conference 2026